Coal Industry

Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Prime Minister – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 24 March 1983.

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Photo of Mrs Margaret Thatcher Mrs Margaret Thatcher The Prime Minister, Leader of the Conservative Party 12:00, 24 March 1983

My hon. Friend is quite right. There were two parts to "Plan for Coal" which was published in 1974. One part concerned investment, which the Government have more than honoured, the other was an agreement that exhausted capacity should be closed at about the rate of 3 million tonnes a year. So far, such capacity has been closed at a rate of only 1 million tonnes a year and the productivity expectations have yet to be fulfilled.